Cable terminal box.



J. A. MCCOY. CABLE TERMINAL BIOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. I911.

Patented Mar. 7,- 1916.

J'Gfiifi' A. M0001, 0F SOMERVILLE, massacnusn'rrs.

enema TERMINAL eon.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented Mar. "2, 31916.

' Application filed March 7, 1911. Serial No. 812,824.

To all whomc't may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN A. McQoY, citrzen of the United States, and resident of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cable Termi nal Boxes, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to cable terminalboxes, and consists in'certain improvements, hereinafter more particularly described and pointed out in the claims, upon devices of the general character shown in Letters Patent No. 875,279, issued to me December 31,-

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate certain embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation,

partly broken away and partly in vertical section, of, a cable terminal-box containing my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View on line 2-;2 of Fig. 1, showing the outer casing partly open; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the inner casing taken on a planepassing between the connecting arms, as on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 rs a front elevation, partly broken away and partly in "vertical section, of the lower part of a cable terminal containing a modified form of the invention; and Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 55 of Fig. 4i.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the outer casing, or container casing, consists of the rear wall A, which may be secured in any suitable way to a pole or building, the side wall a, hinged to the rear wall, the side and front walls a and a together constituting one part and hinged to the rear wall,

and the flanged top plateor cover a of metal, which is bolted through one of the flanges to the upper end of the rear wall A.-

Thus the top and rear walls may be rigidly secured together, and the side and front walls may be swung open like doors, as shown in Fig. 2, affording free access to the interior of the casing.

The inner distributing casing may be in general construction similar to that shown in my said patent No. 875,279: It consists of the hollow, elongated box B, preferably divided longitudinally into two compartments by a partition I), which terminates short of the lower end of the casing. Secured opposite to one another on the front and rear walls are the connecting arms 0, between the outer ends of which are the conductors 0, preferably in the form of fuses. The inner ends of the arms a are secured to belts or posts a which pass through the walls of the casing B, and are provided with clips 0 in the interior of the casing, to which the wires from the cables are connect? ed in the usual way.

D represents a bottom preferably of metal, common to both the outer container casing and the inner distributing casing. This metal bottom is provided with two cable apertures d,;one for the underground c'able and one for the overhead cable. Surroundingthese apertures'is the upwardly extending box flange d, which forms a cell or pocket around the cable apertures. The

lower end of the distributing casing B fits over the outside of said box flange, and in order to insure a tight joint between the flange and the casing, one or the other or both of the oint making members, but preferably the outer surface of the flange, is made tapered as best shown in Fig. 1. The joint is drawn tight together and, the easing secured to the metal bottom over the flange, by bolts d which pass through the bottom 1) and angle metal fastening strips (1 secured to the. lower end of casing B.

Each cable end consists of the end of sheath E and the projecting wires or conductors e. The cable end projects upward through the cable aperture 05 in the metal bottom, and the wires or conductors e are connected in the usual way to the clips 0.

The cable sheath E extends into the pocket formed by the box flange d, and is sealed to and supported by the metal bottom by a sealing material such as metal d melted and poured into the pocket surrounding the cable end and there permitted to harden. This metal seal (Z performs the double oiiice of uniting the metal bottom and the cable end, supporting the latter upon the former without the use of clamps, couplings or other supporting devices heretofore used, and sealing the joint between cable E and the metal bottom against moisture. The cable sheath is cut 0 at or near the top, of the pocket, as. shown in the drawings, and the Wires 6, usually covered with paper insulation, are connected in a well understood manner With clips 0 the wires of the overhead cable being connected to one side of the distributing casing, and the Wires of the nected with an underground wire by a fuse a.

After the wiresare all properly connected up, and the cable end sealed to the metal bottom asdescribed, an insulating material, while hot and liquid, such. as melted paraiiin, may be poured into the inner casing B, until the casing is filled, and all the wires and clips to which they are connected are embedded. During this operation a plug 39, screwed into a hole in the lower part of casing B, holds the'melted paraflin from escaping. The plug 19 is then removed, while the parafiin is still liquid, and the paraffin; is drawn oii', leaving the interior of the casing, the joints, wires, contact clips, etc., coated with an insulating and moisture-proof material. By thus providing an outlet aperture and plug p, not only is it possible to save much in the quantity of the insulating compound used, but if it becomes necessary to repair or change any of the connections within the distributing casing, it can be done without disturbing the other connections and with much greater facility. than if the insulating compound were left to harden, filling the entire casing. I

It will be seen that the metal bottom D, the inner casing B, the cable end E,- and the seal uniting it to the bottom, and all the electrical connections can be permanently assembled and set up as a unit, in a work shop or wherever convenient, independently of the outer casing, and then carried to the place where it-is to be installed, and the unitary structure secured within the outer container casing, which may be already mounted on a pole, by bolting the downwardly extending flange d on the metal bottom D tothe rear wall A of the outer casing by means of bolts d. It will be understood that thecable terminal will be united with the main cable by the usual cable splice.

.Referring now to the modification shown in Figs; 4: and 5, the metal bottom structure includes the lower plate F, made with the downwardly turned flange f, by which it is secured within the outer casing, and the two cable apertures f in the depressed or countersunk parts f which form cells or pockets around the apertures. project through said apertures into said The cable ends E upwardly extending box flanges similar to box flange a3, already describe In this form of the invention two inner casings B may be used side by side, and therefore twice as many pairs of wires may be used in a box of the same height, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. 1

It will be understood that one of the ca- Ibles E is the underground cable and the other the overhead cable, and in order properly to distribute the wires, half of the wires of each cable will be carried into the distributing casing directly above the cable end and the other half carried across, within walls f", to the other distributing casing, so that each distributing casingv will contain the same number of incoming and outgoing wires. F are clamped in position over the bottom F by bolts passing through the plate F The casings B and the cover plate,

and the ang e metal clamping pieces f v fixed .metal bottom structure, a plurality of distributing casings mounted above said metal bottom structure, said metal bottom structure being made hollow to form an inclosed chamber, the lower wall of said chamber having a plurality of cable apertures therethi'ough and the upper wall of said chamber havinga plurality of conductor apertures communicatingwith the interiors of the several distributing casings, and a number of cable ends extending upward thr'ou h said cable apertures into said chamber, tie wires of said cable ends being separated within'said chamber into a plurality of groups extending through different apertures in the upper walls of the chamber to different distributing casings.

2. In a cable terminal-box, an outer container casing and an inner distributing casing, a bottom structure common to both casings, said bottom structure having a cable aperture communicating with the inner casing, a pocket surrounding said aperture, a cable end extending upward through said aperture and into said pocket, a seal in said pocket by which said cable end is united to pockets, and are there supported and sealed and supported by said bottom structure.

by metal or other suitable sealing material f poured into said pockets around the cable ends and hardened. A wall f on the upper side of plate F surrounds both pockets, and on the top of wall it is a coverplate P, provided with two apertures over the cable apertures f respectively, and surrounded by Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 28th day of February, 1911.

JOHN, A. MCCOY.

Witnesses:

Ronnar 'CUSHMA'N, GHARLES D. WOODBERRY. 

